Banana Zucchini Oat Muffins

I am a huge believer in breakfast!  I wake up starving so I never understand how people go without it.  From personal experience, I also believe it gets your metabolism going and if you pack your heavier meals in the earlier part of the day, you'll eat less at night.

But often people say they don't have time for breakfast.  And many who actually eat it, are really eating what I think should be dessert.  Most breakfasts are filled with carbs and sugar (e.g.: pancakes or waffles with syrup or bagel with cream cheese).  Where has the nutrition in breakfast disappeared to?

Think about it this way....  Breakfast is an opportunity for you to refuel your body, give yourself energy and start your daily activities with a boost of nutrients.  If you don't have the time to make an omelette with veggies, this recipe is a simple fix that can last you all week.  And it will give you whole grains, protein, fiber and calcium.  That's what I call a healthy way to start your day! 

I got this recipe from a website called Hummusapien.  I added and subtracted a bit to make it healthier as I do with most recipes but what I love most about this is that you can add just about anything to make it to your liking.  Want it sweeter? -  add honey or cranberries.  Want it richer?  -add nuts or dark chocolate.   

Master these and bring a healthy breakfast back into your life!  

Instructions

Makes 12 muffins

1. Preheat oven to 375F.   Coat 12 muffin liners with a small drop of olive oil each and place into muffin tin.
2. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl.  Extra add-ins depending on your taste: cranberries, dark chocolate chips or nuts.
3. Distribute mixture to 12 muffin liners. 
4. Bake for 25 min.  

Ingredients

1. 2 cups Organic oats
2. 1 large organic zucchini (peel & grate)
3. 2 small (very) ripe organic bananas (peel & grate)
4. 1/2 cup Almond Milk (or Milk)
5. 1/4 cup organic Peanut Butter
6. 1 egg (or 1 tbsp flaxseed + 3 tbsp water)
7. 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
8. 1 tsp cinnamon
9. 1 tsp salt
10. 1 Tbsp chia or flax seeds
11. 1 Tbsp baking powder

A Cleaner with a "Purpose"

Many of the cleaners we use have harsh chemicals.  If you have a strong sense of smell like me, you can probably smell them when you get home after your cleaners were in or want to gag when you have to clean up a spill or stain. 

Well, gag no more because there are some alternatives that actually work. 

I have a few personal favorites.  They aren't perfect, however they are a better alternative to the common brands like Lysol and Clorox.  

Today I'll tell you about one of them- Seventh Generation All Purpose Natural Cleaner. 

The first thing you'll like about it is that it doesn't smell toxic like many of the others.  In fact, it does not have much of a smell at all because of the minimal amount of chemicals, lack of chlorine bleach and because it does not contain synthetic fragrance (believed to be harmful to health).  Secondly, you'll appreciate that it does the job.  

According to the packaging, Seventh Generation only contains 6 ingredients, 5 of which are considered "clean" (no pun intended).  The only one that is of some concern is Methylisothiazolinone which is a synthetic chemical that is potentially an allergenic.  A report released by the European Scientific Committee in 2003 concluded that insufficient information was available to allow for an adequate risk assessment analysis of this chemical.

I like that the first ingredient is water and the next 3 are plant based or plant derived.    

The best part of all is that's it's inexpensive!  I buy it from Target, however you can also find it on Amazon with prime pantry.  

Health Benefits of Green Tea

I always heard how healthy Green Tea was, however I never understood the actual benefits until recently.  Now, I'm addicted!  Here's why...

1. High in Antioxidants so may prevent cancer-  It's less processed than most other teas so it's high in antioxidants.   Remember, antioxidants help prevent or repair cell damage.  Since cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the body, it is believe that Green Tea may help prevent or repair it.  In addition, according to the National Cancer Institute, the polyphenols in green tea have been shown to decrease tumor growth in laboratory and animal studies and may protect against damage caused by ultraviolet UVB radiation.

2. Good for the heart and believed to lower Cholesterol-  Green tea contains catechins, polyphonic compounds that are thought to exert numerous protective effects, particularly on the cardiovascular system.  An analysis of published studies in 2011  found that consuming green tea, either as a beverage or in capsule form, was linked to significant but modest reductions in total and LDL or "bad" cholesterol.

3. May reduce risk of Alzheimer's & Parkinson's- Multiple studies show that the catechin compounds in green tea can have various protective effects on neurons in test tubes and animal models, which may lower the risk of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

Green tea is made from more mature leaves that are not fermented or oxidized. Most of the flavonoids in green tea are catechins, and one in particular is believed to be responsible for most of the health benefits in green tea. Green tea also contains a lot of polyphenols and has a lower caffeine content than black tea.  It's a great alternative to other beverages like carbonated beverages, regular tea and alcohol!

Although loose green tea is better, I tend to buy the organic version in bags simply for convenience.  Always seep 1-2 minutes (no more) so you are soaking up the multiple benefits. Avoid seeping more than 2 minutes as your tea will taste too bitter.  

Bigelow Green tea happens to be my favorite.  I't took me a few weeks to acquire the taste but once I did, it became a regular in my everyday.